Marc Dumont
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Tuesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Top prospect Ivan Demidov had a hell of a night in the KHL. He scored a hat trick during SKA Saint Petersburg’s 4-1 win over Vityaz. The first goal was interesting, as Demidov took a hit to make the play, and then quickly made his way to the net to open the scoring.
The second goal was almost too easy for the 19-year-old forward, who is just three points behind Sergei Plotnikov for the team lead in scoring.
His three-goal effort also included an empty-net goal, pushing his season totals to 19 goals and 21 assists in 48 games, which is rather impressive when we remember his coach decided to sandbag him earlier in the season by giving him a few minutes of ice time per game.
The Habs had no answer for Connor Hellebuyck’s dominance on Tuesday night. Despite outshooting and outchancing the Winnipeg Jets, one of the best teams in the NHL, the Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision. To make matters worse, defenceman Kaiden Guhle had to leave the game after an awkward fall in the third period which left him hobbling. [Habs Highlights: Hellebuyck Stands Tall, Kaiden Guhle Injured]
Martin St-Louis’ reaction to the initial Guhle diagnosis was far from encouraging.
Martin St-Louis’ reaction to the update on Guhle: https://t.co/gYriuH9X61 pic.twitter.com/scrIYpwLAH
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 29, 2025
The Canadiens initially tweeted that Guhle had a lower-body injury, and would be “evaluated on a daily basis”, leaving a little hope that it wouldn’t be a long-term injury.
But they quickly deleted their tweet, suggesting Guhle will “need further evaluation.”
If Guhle is forced to miss significant time, except defenceman Jayden Struble to be recalled from the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens could also take a look at either Adam Engstrom or Logan Mailloux, but they have to recall Struble in a little over a week anyhow, as his conditioning stint runs out after 14 days.
The good news is that Struble has played well alongside anyone not named David Savard. If the Habs want him to succeed, reuniting him with Arber Xhekaj is the right call. [Finding A Role For Canadiens Defenceman Jayden Struble]
